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to the land
Traditional Uses
of the land
Why not leave the land to nature?
Less Money from the Fen
A new industry on the horizon?
Traditional
uses of the land
For centuries the marsh and fen was managed using traditional
tools by marshmen, who made a living from using the land for
grazing their cattle and cutting reed and sedge. These are
the traditional uses of the land that formed the distinctive
landscape and created the prized habitats of today.
The quality of these habitats affects the value of the Broads
today.Essentially, how money is made from the Broads is changing.
The fen and marsh have either been ploughed up or fallen to
neglect. One of our last remaining marshman, Eric Edwards,
tells his story (see link below).
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The rare swallowtail butterfly prepares to take off
after feeding at Hickling broad.
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During this century the way of life
on the Broads has changed dramatically, with many marshmen
going to fight in the two world wars and never returning.
The 2000 hectare of fen that remain in the Broads is the most
species-rich fen land in lowland Britain. It is home to more
than 250 plant species, many of which can be found nowhere
else in Britain. The Fen also supports a rich array of animals,
many rare. These include the Norfolk hawker dragonfly, the
leopard reed moth, swallowtail butterfly, water vole, bearded
tit and marsh harrier.
Why
not leave the area to nature?
Fen is a man made landscape. If left, it will revert to trees,
and eventually the Broads will fill in. Valuable habitats
will be destroyed and rare species will disappear, and the
authorities have a statutory duty to look after this rare
habitat. And significantly, people find the area attractive.
Many land owners are now managing
the fen for wildlife, including the RSPB and Wildlife Trust.
The Broads Authority has developed
restoration and conservation strategies with partners to ensure
that fen remain. Keeping scrub down is hard work, needs lots
of labour and has been done for years by armies of volunteers.
George Taylor, Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Warden for the Ant
and Bure Valleys says: "For the past five years we've
had 12 volunteers a week cutting scrub from the fen over Barton
Broad. The amount of work they can do in a week is incredible."
But relying on volunteers to keep
the scrub down is not a viable option most of time, and most
organisations rely on machinery and brushcutters. Traditional
management of the fens is long gone.
Less
money from the fen
The traditional products of the fen, reed and sedge, are becoming
less economically viable. Imports of reed from Eastern Europe
and even Egypt are cheaper. And the reed that is good for
conservation is not the quality wanted by thatchers.Tom Bridges,
the assistant warden at the RSPB reserve at Stalham explains:
"Commercially viable reed needs to be cut at 18 months,
but for conservation the reed needs to be of mixed ages for
the invertebrates. For instance, the reed leopard moth larvae
stays in the in reed for three years."
In the meantime, conservation organisations
are fighting a losing battle keeping the fen clear of scrub.
There is, however, a glimmer of opportunity on the horizon.
A
new industry on the horizon?
The Broad Authority has developed a "wetland harvester",
with funds from the EU, as part of a £750,000 New Wetland
Harvest project. The project aims to find an economically
and ecologically sustainable use for the harvested marsh hay.
Most recently a more diverse range
of products has been considered, including pet litter, pet
food and briquettes. However, it's been difficult to get a
market for these products since there are cheaper alternatives.One
option which is looking more viable is the use of the scrub
for biofuel. Pilot projects have shown that the woody scrub
burns well in specialised energy incinerators, and could provide
an income for continuing conservation work on the Broads.
At the moment the cost of transporting
the material to the existing bio-fuel sites in Norfolk is
too expensive, though many are speculating that a bio-fuel
site could be sited in the area to solve this problem, and
create some energy for the area."Expect to see a bio-fuel
plant in the Broads in 15-20 years time," said Martin
George of the Broads Society.
Marshman
Eric Edwards - the last of his kind
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